Cover-placing mechanism for unit-measuring machines



" Jul 1011928.

. 1.676.378 c. N. B/ERGMANN ET AL COVER PLACING MECHANISM FOR UNITMEASURING MACHINES Filed July 2, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY July 10,1928. C. N. BERGMANN ET AL COVER PLACING MECHANISM FOR UNIT MEASURINGMACHINES Filed July 2, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I {at INVENTORS.

IuWmW AM U l HHU I HI 'v a J r July 10, 1928.

I 1,676,378 I c. N. BERGMANN ET AL COVER PLACING MECHANISM FOR UNITMEASURING MACHINES Filed July 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet TOR5.

ATTORNEY July 10, 1928.

.c. N. BERGMANN ET AL COVER PLACING MECHANISM FOR'UNIT MEASURINGMACHINES Filed July 192 5 5 Sheets-Sheet A in? -INVENTOR5. BY @fi Agkx/MQD July 10, 1928. 1,676,378

r C. N. BERGMANN ET AL COVER PLACING MECHANISM FOR UNIT MEASURiNGMACHINES Filed July 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet INVENTORS. 22 4 fii" .4 TTORNEYPatented Jul 1c; 1928.

um- STATES CHRISTIAN N. BERGMANNQOF, PITTSBURGH, PENNSYEVANIM ELMER z.TAYLOR, 0F

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY; AND CYRUS TAYLOR; OF'I-IARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, AS-SIGNOR-S TO BERGMANN PACKAGING MACHINE COMPANY, or rITTsBURGmrENN- SYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

COVER-PLACING, 1VIECHANISM FOR UNIT-MEASURINGMACHINES.

Amnieauon filed July 2,

' main elements to that shown .inaprior ap- 'pli cationfiled b e. N.Bergmann et ,al on April 4, 1925, Serial No. 20,696, but d fferstherefrom mainly inthe use of an intermittentl'y rotatable carryingturret for the receptacles,-instea'd ofa longitudinally movable carryingtrays, in an improved cover placing, mechanism, hereinafter described.

and in other respects The present invention is also generally similar tothat shown and described in a copending" companion application, SerialNo.

40,796, and relates particularly to mechanism "for placing the caps orcovers on the receptacles-to closethem after filling} The machine 'asavvhol'e comprises a roytatable turret Wheel having an annular series ofcupreceiving cavities, means by Which eachhcavity is broughtsuccessivelyin registeringposition underneath the cup depositor,

the fillin mechanismfthe capper, and then over the ejector,:respectively.

Thee-over placing mechanism herein involved embodies a suctioncontrolled plunger and its operating mechanism, in connection with meansfor selecting a cap orcover" from the bottom of a magazine or bankthereof andfplacing it intooperative position with", v relation totheplunger, such mechanism act-,

ingi'n sequential relation to the various other operativemechanisms,With'suitable rest periods. I I v v r 1 'Inthe drawlngsllustrating one preferred embodiment of the invention:

a Figure l is a View of the machine'in front elevation. p

"Figure 2 is apartialvertical sectional View thereof on the line II -IIof Fig. 1.1

Figure 3 is'a horizontal sectional view on line IIIIII -of Fig. 2 partlybroken away,

Figure l'isa plan View of the turret.

Figureo is a detail sectional View on the line V -Vv of Fig. 3; V i vFigi'lire 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional 19 25. Serial No. 41,106.

view onthe line VI VI of ig, 2'shovving' the capping mechanism in itsinitial position. Figure 7 ma similar V ew showing the cap placedunderneath the suction plunger) Figure 8 is a similar view showing thecap shifter retracted in the plunger in lowered position.v l

' Figure 9 is an enlarged sectional detail yiew of the cap selector. v

Figure l0ri's a plan view of the cap por ing and, shifting plate, on,the line Figure '11 is a perspective detail vievv showing the combinedshifting plate andcap selector; me chanism. V i

Figure' 12-is an. under planpview of the bottom of the capmagazine. 5'Referring to .the drawings, the operative portions of themachineare'mounted'upon and ithin a hollow box-shaped base Qof castmetal supported upon 1 the floor. orv I,

foundation by a suitable fiat pedestal, as in" V Fig, 1. Atthe frontmiddle portion of the, base is a vertically arranged bearing 3 in whichis rotatably mounted the centraldepen ding stem 4' of the turret 5;Bearin'gQB is cast integral with a'laterallyextending 'transversebottomwall; 6, forming av concave dish or basin, "surrounding" the turretbeyond i the lovv'e'rbase and providing a rearwardly Asshovvn in ig; 3the.out -eredg es '7 are rounded, and surround theturret, a drain',conne cti'onbeing made at the lower level forcleamngpurp'oses'.'Turre'th is genenallyof vthe form of a. flat heelordi'sk,having anannularrseriesiof, tapered sockets 8 open at the bottom, andprovided-With lateral, clear- 'ance' openings 9 for the dischargingplunger Socket-s8 are ofa siZeto receive, and

receptacles around v the center, position :for cupv do; I capping, anddischarge, at each intermittent rest period of'the turret;

. I The several mechanisms for such purpose 'i eee ve tlltlf operativemovemeiit from a "inclined collecting andfdrainagecavity for V excessjcream, washing, etc;

[support on their flanged bottoms the cups or i a as they are depositedtherein main transverse shaft 11 mounted in bearings 12-12 ofthe mainframe 2. Shaft 11 is driven through gearing 13141516 or other suitablegearing, from a motor 17.

. The machine mayvalsobe manually operated by crank 172 having suitableclutch connection with the motor shaft. 7

Turret is intermittently rotated, say one twelfth of a revolution withan intervening rest period, by a ratchet wheel 19 and pawl 20 of leverarm 21 by cam 22 extending from and movable with gear 16; Lever 21 ispivoted at 28 and its terminal roller 24 is held against the annularface of cam 22 by aspring 25. Pawl 20 is pivoted at 26 to the otherendoflever 21 and its free end has a terminal pin or roller 27 adapted toengage the successive teeth sockets 28 of the ratchet .E ,01 52-53 oflever arms 4849. Said arms wheel 19 for each operation, under control Iof spring 29 secured tothe other end of the :pawl and to the lever, asshown.

The under side of ratchet wheel 19 is provided with a series of holdingsockets 30 adapted to co-act with roller 31 of, a

'7 spring retracted stud 32 mounted in asupplacedrin the cup at C, andthe filled cup is discharged upwardly atD.

The cups it provided with a rim 6 are nested in a vertical columnaboveposition A of the turret in a magazine tube rigid- V ly supportedfromthe main frame of the machine. 7 Each cup is tapered tofit snugly inthe cavity 8 of the turret without binding and the lowermost cup ofthemagazine seri'esis lowered into jthe particular registering cavity ofthe turret by the mechanism disclosed insaid companion application,

Serial No; 41,105, and also in another copending application Serial No.40,796.v

Such mechanism is actuated from main shaftll through cam 56, the grooves54-55 which engage the terminal rollers are connectedby links 50 5O withthe independently HlOVttblGStQ-D'IS 48-47 by which the grasping clampsor jaws 44 are caused to extract and deposit the lowermost cup 111 theturret cavity.

After such depositing, turret 5 is moved around one space and theoperation is repeated until'the cups successively reach position B whereeach cup is filled with ice cream or otnersuitable commodity by the unitdelivering mechanism from the hopper E. Said unit forming" anddelivering mechanism is preferably of the construction shown in saidfirst mentioned application but may be of any suitable type, and thepresent invention is not neeessarilylimited to use with any particularcup placing or cup filling means. In the intermittent progressof theturret the filled cups are brought successively into registeringrelation with the capper at position C.

The filled cups are there capped and covered by placing within the upperedge of each c'up a thin paper disk 83 having a projecting withdrawaltang 163.

Said disks are mounted in vertically arranged bank in a magazine tube84, slotted the plunger frame 85 at 86. The plunger frame 85 is rigldlysupported in front of the gear housing frame 36 of the machine by abracket 87. Secured underneath the bottom Y along its outer side, andfixedly bolted to longitudinal centerare strips 92 92 Which extend abovethe level of the surface of the plate sufliciently far'to support thedisks above the plate with sufficient clearness of the push finger ortrigger on backward movement. v

The bottom of the cap: magazine is flat as at 94, Fig, l2,having amiddle clearance opening and a tang opening forclearance .of the caps,and limitingrblocksor abut ments 95. These extend downwardly close tothe surface of shelf 91 of plate 90, with just sufficient clearness forpassage of the lowermost cap, as it is pushed inwardly. Plate 90 has acentral longitudinal slotted opening 96 for clearance of the preliminarypush linger 97 which moves in and out with the shifter plate 90. Block97is pivotally connected by link 98 with'the rear thickened end of plate90 at 99, and is designed-to ride downwardlyvat a slight incline fromits initial outer position, so 'as to become detached from engagementwith the lowers most cap after it has been started andis engaged by theends 93 of strips 92 i The advancing end of block 97 is provided with ahorn 100,'the upper face 1010f which is tapered as shown, so as toprovide clearance in caseany cap being acted upon at the bottom of thebank should be warpeddownwardly. By his means the I slightly tilted upat the rear. 7 r I The block 97has a thin steelplate 102 on its topwhich extends above the-highest rear portion of incline 101 and is just,thick enough to preliminarily engage thebottom cap by the concavedundercut l 102. Elm-k9? is mounted by a downwardly inclined track 103depending llU caps are also I at each side ottrack plate ,88, so-that asthe block moves inwardly it will quickly separatethe lower cap by thefront edge of plate 102 acting 'as a inwardly. 7 a 1 As the push fingerand trigger advances andlowers, it carries the lowermost cap trigger,and-will carry it inwardly underneath the limiting abutments- "in,abutting engagement with the concaved ends of strips 92. These strips,by their con- 'caved ends, act to accurately centralize the "cap: so asto positivelylocate .it in proper central position under the plunger.Attheend of the movement oif plate the cap engages against the sides ofstop 139 with the tang between them, asin F ig'. 10.

, Plate} 90is; provided at ltS fOlWLICl end with a groove 162 forclearance of the cover tang 163 to prevent upward springing of. the cap,should the tang be bent down. A

notch or socket 164 at one'side of the plate provides for locking theplate in retracted position by an adjnstable dog 165,.should it bedesired to put the e'apper out of service temporarily; r f Owing-to therestricted clearance space,

V the cap isforced, to lie flat against the-surface o-f-the shelfextension 91 and will be carried inwardly to the end voi its movementunder the suctionplunger,. a

Onbackwardmovement of block 97, duetoriding' upwardlyalong inclinedtracks 103, plate 102 will-bean against the rear edge of the'nextlowermost cap and willtilt y it and the corresponding edges.v of thebank of caps" upwardly, as in l ig. 9; Plate,90 and block 97 are moved"inwardly and outwardly bylever. 10teonnected; by linlrh105underneath'to'the rear end; ot-plate 90 by fpivotingst-ud 106. 1 l

Lever 1:04, is pivote d on supporting bracket lll-ot the frame M112 andextends backwardly bearing by terminal roller 113 againstIt-he innerface of can 1:14 onthe end of. shaft 11'; Aspring 1 15v connected to theframeand, to lever 104 at lltiiholds the roller 113 against thecam andconstantly tends to throw the-other end ot the lever J and link 105 andthe sliding plate 90;;inj

wardly, The cam 11% is soproport-ioned that when its outer portioneonitesyopposite the roller, the plate 'wil l'be thrust inwardly,

pushing the lowermostIcapHunderneathJthe plunger'a-s in Fig. '7, afterwhich the plate is receded to its initialfposition by the cam. j Theouter flat portioni iofthe cam 114 allows the shifting plate 90' toremain inwardly sufliciently long to support the-cap upon terminal shelf91 until it becomes firml r grasped against the vlower :end of thesuction actuated plunger. Lever 10-1 is. provided withan adjustingtemper 'screw .11'?- mounted in lug 118 and adaptedto engage a bearinglug 119 of the rounded edge, ot the side tra ns. By such means theinward movement'of the lever and cover plate. 90

may be accurately regulated;

The suction plunger consists of an outer tubular casing 120 having acentrally open slightly concaved head 121, with an inner relativelymovable Suction plunger Casing 1'20-is slidably mounted in'. plungerframe 85 and is verticallyreciprocated by a i link 123 connected tolever 124.] In the same way plunger 122 ,is connected" by link 1125 withlever 126, both of said leversbeing' pivotally mounted on a fulcrumbearing .127-

as'inFig.2f 7, Each lever-extends rearwardlyand is proacross the top" ofthe-gear housing frame,

vided with a terminal roller;128 129-,]en-

gaging the. cam grooves 130131,respectively of cam 132 on shaft '11. v iA. centering retainingv ring-133 is'secured in registering alinementwith the plunger and cup cavity through V'whieh theycapis lowered intothe'rim of each cup, Said ring is adapted to be lowered bygt gravityuponand around the cup rim, as inltig. 8f,as'the plunger lowers, and toretain th'e cup v1n place with its inserted cap, .upon upward move nent"of the plunger: The ring. as shown is tapered inwardly atjtheitop andbottom," providing for centralizing "and ae+ curate placen'i'ent ofthe'cap andi'or holding engagement against the rim ottheE cup.

Ring-133 is securedigto the lowermendot a bar 13st which is, slidablyguided in .a lateral l1ousing-135 of plunger-casingi85,and

mof I is connected by slot 136 and pin 137 witlrthe upper end of plungercasing 120.

At the proper level,ca sing .120 is provided with a relief port-138 to;br eakethe vacuum in the plunger casing when plunger 1122 rises abovesaid port, as in -Fig 8.

In operation, when the c ap :is pushed in wardly to registering positionwith the plunger, head 121 isifirst lowered uponnit,

pressing it against the. plate shelf. ---Pl unger 122 then commences totravel: upwardly to create a suction sufficient to hold, the can 88,against the under side of head 121, and; said. head is then raised. justsufiicient. say 'one quarter inch, to lift the; cap clear o't'the plate,plunger 1221continuing to;-1"i se,-'ata I slowerjsp'ee dr ,The plateisithen withdrawn.

leaving the cap: suspended up against head I r :Head' 121;.is thenlowered with :the cap while plunger122 rises toincrea'sethe .suc-

tion, and head 121 by its reduced terminal presses the e'ap through thering 133 and in 7 serts the cap'iirmly in position within the rim 7)the-cup; Hunger. 1:22: continues to rise until itis above port 138, atwhich time head 1 21 has placed the cap in the cup. The vacuum is thenbroken, releasing the suc tion on the cap and to' prevent the cap andcup from being raised out of the socket 8 of turret 5. The plungercasing and its-head, and the plunger then resume their original positionready for another operation.

The weight of ring 133 and its supporting bar 13% continue to rest onthe cup rim until the plunger mechanism has been withdrawn upwardly,preventing any possibility of sticking, and acting to ensure strippingof the cu-p'in such case.

turret 5 is occupied successively by an empty cup at. position A, andthat asca'zh arrives at the subsequent positions B, C, and l), the

successive operations of filling, capping, and

discharging are performed.

The capping or closing mechanism for the cups. forming the subjectmatter of the present application is accurate and reliable in that itinsures selection of the lowermost cover accurately underneath'thesuction actuated plunger; Said plunger, by its construction andoperation; together with the guiding ring, "positively .and accuratelyeffects placing of the cover Within the cup and insures againstanyjamming or interference due to partial displacement or litting of thecup and its contents.

The operation of the machine as a whole is continuous, rapid, andsubstantially automatic, merely requiring renewal of? the cup and capsupply in their respective magazine tubes, with. attention to the otherincidental requirements of the machine.

The several movements are all eiiected through the various-cams and.their transmitting levers or equivalent thereof. int he The mamannerdescribed and illustrated. chine as a whole is very compact and ofcompaiatively small size, considering its capacity and speed ofoperation.

It maybe changed or varied by the.

skilled mechanic in various details 7 or teatures, or otherwise modifiedwithin the range of the general principle of operation, but all suchchanges are to be considered as within the scope of'the followingclaims:

We claim; 7

V 1. The combination with an intermittently movable packagecarrier, ofsuperimposed open bottom cover holder, a laterally ar' ranged suctionplunger, means operatively connected withthe carrier for actuating thesuction plunger, and a slide plate having edge engaging abntinents and avertically movable cover engaging device adapted to select and move alowermost cover from the holder and to place it in registering relationwith the. plunger.

2. Thecombination with an intermittently movable package carrier, of asuperimposed open bottom cover holder, a laterally arranged suctionplunger, means operatively connected with the carrier for actuating thesuction plunger, a limiting abutment for the cover, and a slide platehavingedge engaging abutments and a vertically movable cover engagingdevice adapted to select and move a lowermost cover from the holder andto place it against said abutment in registering relation with theplunger.

3. Cover placing mechanisms consisting of a plunger having an innersuction creating head, means for independently actuating the plunger andits head, and a side plate adapted to shift a cover into registeringrelationwith the plunger. V

4. Cover placing mechanism consisting of a plunger having an innersuction creating head, means for independently actu ating the plungerand its head, and a slide plate having supporting strips for terminaledge engagement with a cover adapted to shift it into registeringrelation'with the plunger.

5. Cover placing mechanism consisting of a plunger having an innersuction creating head, a slide plate having pushing abutments forterminal edge engagement with a cover, and a relatively movableselecting device adapted to initially shift a cover for movement by theabutments into registering relation with the plunger.

6. A device for cover placement consisting of a'hollow plunger providedwith an inner suction head, and means for imparting independent movementto the plunger, and head; 7. A device for cover placement consisting ofa hollow plunger provided with a leakage port, an inner suction headadapted to uncover said port, and meanslfor imparting independentmovement to the plunger and head.

8. In combination with a hollow two-part suction plunger having an innerhead and an outer telescoping casing, and means pro viding forindependent movement of each, a. guide ring depending below the plungerhaving slotted connection with the casing. 9. In combination with ahollow two-part suction plunger having an inner head and an outertelescoping casing, and means providing'for independent movementof each,i

a guide ring depending below the plunger having slotted connection withand means for placing a cover in registering relatlon with the plunger.

i '10. In combination with a hollow two part suction plunger having aninner head and an outer telescoping casing,'and means providing forindependent movement of each, a guide ring depending below the plungerhaving slotted connections with the casing, an arresting abutment, and aslide plate adapted to locate a cover in registering relation with theplunger against said abut V ment.

. 11. In combinationwith a guiding frame,

a hollow suction plunger mounted therein having an apertured bottom, areclprocable suction head in the plunger, a guide ring below theplunger, a supporting bar there for having slotted connection with the.

plunger, and means for actuating the plunger and the suction headindependently.

12. In combination with a cover magazine tube having limiting abutmentsonits lower face, a slide plate having clearance be- 1 tween its uppersurface and said abutments for the lowermost cover of a series, andsupporting strips for said series having cover engaging terminals. 7

13. In combination with a cover magazine tube having limiting abutmentson its lower face, a slide plate having clearance between its uppersurface and said abutments for the lowermost cover of a series,

I and supporting strips for said series having forwardly disposedconoaved terminals for i edge engagement with av cover.

r a relatively movable selecting device carried by the plate.

15. In combination with a guiding frame, ahollow suction plunger mountedtherein having an apertured bottom, a reciprocable suction head in theplunger, a slide plate" adapted to select and move a lowermost coverfroma superimposed series into registering relation with the plunger, anoperating lever for the plunger and head respectively, actuating camsfor said levers, and

independently operating means for shifting the slide plate.

16. In combination with a guiding frame, a hollow suction plungermounted therein having an ape'rturedbottom, a reciprocable oursignatures. 1

suction head in the plunger, a slide plateadapted to select and move f alowermost cover from a superimposed series 1nto regls 'tering relationwith the plunger, a cam actuated ope-rating lever for the plunger andhead respectively, an operating lever for the slide plate havlng amovement arrestmg device, and an actuatingcam for said lever.

17. A shifting device for thin disk-shaped,

caps consisting of a horizontally movable plate provided with a centralopen slot, supporting strips on the slide plate at each side of saidslot having pushing terminals,

the plate in the central slot; 1

caps consisting of a horizontally movable plate provided with a centralopen slot, supporting stripsjfon the slide plate at each ide of saidslot having pushing.terminals, and a preliminary push finger in thecentral slot'loosely connected with the plate or fall ing and risingmo'vementtherein.

19. A shifting devicejfor' thin disk-shaped Y caps consisting ofhorizontally movable plate'provided with a'centralslot, supportingstrips on the slide plate ateach side of said slot having pushingterminals, a

preliminary push finger: in the central slot loosely connectedwith theplate for falling i and rising movement therein, and, an inclinedtrackway for the push finger.

QOQA shifting device for thin disk-shaped caps consisting of ahorizontally movable,

plate provided with a central open slot, support-ing strips at each sidethereof having pushing terminals, an inclined trackway,

and a preliminary push ,finger carried by 1s. A shifting device for thindisk-shaped 3 a preliminary push finger consisting of a block looselyconnected with the plate and mounted in the inclined trackway, and havmg a thinedge-engaging plate and a sloping g 1 00 extension in advancethereof.

21. Meansfor preliminarily selecting and advancing the lowermost disk ofa series carried within a superimposed reservoir hav-.

ing underneath retaining abutments, consisting of a horizontallymovableplate movable below the reservoir having a loosely connectedlowering selecting finger provided with a forwardly extending inclinedwedging portion and a thin concaved engaging 1 edge. r

In testimony whereof wehereunto aflix CHRISTIAN N. BERGMANN; ELMER z.TAYLOR. i CYRUS TAYLOR.

